Automatic layer picking assembly

Abstract

The automatic layer picking assembly for a warehouse comprises a movable layer transporter comprising layer positioner that is operable to position the movable layer transporter with respect to the predetermined pallet positions separately from a pallet transporter during a pallet layer mixing operation.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An automatic layer picking assembly, comprising:
 a plurality of source pallets each positioned at a pallet position and each comprising products arranged in a plurality of pallet layers; 
 at least one pallet transporter including a pallet positioner operable to position a pallet with respect to the pallet positions, and operable to transport a destination pallet during a mixing operation comprising a plurality of layer transfer operations; 
 a movable layer transporter including a layer picker and a layer positioner, and operable to transfer at least one pallet layer from a source pallet to a destination pallet during a layer transfer operation of the mixing operation; 
 a controller coupled to the at least one pallet transporter and the movable layer transporter, and operable to control them such that, during the plurality of the layer transfer operations of the mixing operation, a predetermined destination pallet receives a mixing set of a plurality of the pallet layers from a predetermined set of a plurality of the source pallets; 
 wherein the layer positioner is operable to position the movable layer transporter with respect to the predetermined pallet positions separately from the pallet transporter during the mixing operation, 
 wherein, during each of the layer transfer operations of the mixing operation, during which at least one predetermined pallet layer is transferred from a predetermined source pallet to a predetermined destination pallet on a predetermined pallet transporter, the controller is further configured to control the movable layer transporter such that:
 the movable layer transporter's layer positioner positions the moveable layer transporter at the pallet position of the predetermined source pallet; 
 the movable layer transporter's layer picker picks the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet; 
 the movable layer transporter's layer positioner positions the at least one predetermined pallet layer at the predetermined destination pallet on the predetermined pallet transporter; 
 the movable layer transporter's layer picker places the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet on the predetermined destination pallet; and 
 
 the controller is further configured to control the pallet transporter such that:
 the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces a transfer distance between the predetermined source pallet and the predetermined destination pallet
 (i) while the layer positioner positions the movable layer transporter at the pallet position of the predetermined source pallet, and 
 (ii) before the layer picker picks the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the pallet transporter such that:
 the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces the transfer distance after the layer picker picks the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet and while the layer positioner positions the predetermined source pallet layer at the predetermined destination pallet on the predetermined pallet transporter. 
 
     
     
       3. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the pallet transporter such that the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces the transfer distance until it reaches a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
       4. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the automatic layer picking assembly comprises a plurality of pallet transporters concurrently operable to transport a destination pallet during a plurality of concurrent mixing operations, and in that the controller is further configured to concurrently control:
 wherein one of the plurality of pallet transporters to cooperate with the layer transporter during the layer transfer operation of one of the concurrent mixing operations; 
 wherein another of the plurality of pallet transporters such that the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces the transfer distance for the next layer transfer operation of another of the concurrent mixing operations. 
 
     
     
       5. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operable to control the at least one pallet transporters and the movable layer transporter such that during the layer transfer operation the predetermined destination pallet receives the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet without making use of an intermediate buffer or splitting up the pallet layer into individual articles. 
     
     
       6. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 the pallet positions of source pallets are arranged linearly, adjacent to each other along a plurality of pallet position lines; and the pallet transporter is operable to move along at least one pallet transporting line generally parallel to and in between two pallet position lines. 
 
     
     
       7. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the pallet positions of source pallets are arranged linearly, adjacent to each other along at least one pallet position line; and 
 the pallet transporter is operable to move along at least one pallet transporting line generally parallel to at least one pallet position line. 
 
     
     
       8. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the automatic layer picking assembly includes a plurality of movable layer transporters. 
     
     
       9. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein each of the movable layer transporters is operable to move in a layer transfer area at least partly comprising at least one of the pallet transporting lines and the adjacent pallet position lines. 
     
     
       10. An automatic layer picking assembly, according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pallet transporters operable to transport a destination pallet, is further configured to position a source pallet at a pallet position. 
     
     
       11. An automatic layer picking assembly, according to  claim 1 , wherein the automatic layer picking assembly comprises at least one further pallet transporter separate from the at least one pallet transporter operable to transport a destination pallet, this further pallet transporter operable to position a source pallet at a pallet position with a higher speed and/or acceleration than the at least one pallet transporter operable to transport a destination pallet. 
     
     
       12. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the pallet transporter comprises one of the following devices:
 an automatic guided vehicle; 
 a vehicle operable to move along a track; 
 a robotic vehicle; 
 a conveyor; and/or 
 wherein the movable layer transporter is a gantry robot comprising a pallet layer manipulator. 
 
     
     
       13. An automatic layer picking assembly, comprising:
 a plurality of source pallets each positioned at a pallet position and each comprising products arranged in a plurality of pallet layers; 
 at least one pallet transporter including a pallet positioner operable to position a pallet with respect to the pallet positions, and operable to transport a destination pallet during a mixing operation comprising a plurality of layer transfer operations; 
 a movable layer transporter including a layer picker and a layer positioner, and operable to transfer at least one pallet layer from a source pallet to a destination pallet during a layer transfer operation of the mixing operation; 
 a controller coupled to the at least one pallet transporter and the movable layer transporter, and operable to control them such that, during the plurality of the layer transfer operations of the mixing operation, a predetermined destination pallet receives a mixing set of a plurality of the pallet layers from a predetermined set of a plurality of the source pallets; 
 wherein the layer positioner is operable to position the movable layer transporter with respect to the predetermined pallet positions separately from the pallet transporter during the mixing operation, 
 wherein, during each of the layer transfer operations of the mixing operation, during which at least one predetermined pallet layer is transferred from a predetermined source pallet to a predetermined destination pallet on a predetermined pallet transporter, the controller is further configured to control the movable layer pallet transporter such that:
 the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces a transfer distance between the predetermined source pallet and the predetermined destination pallet
 (i) while the layer positioner positions the movable layer transporter at the pallet position of the predetermined source pallet, and 
 (ii) before the layer picker picks the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet. 
 
 
 
     
     
       14. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the pallet transporter such that:
 the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces the transfer distance after the layer picker picks the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet and while the layer positioner positions the predetermined source pallet layer at the predetermined destination pallet on the predetermined pallet transporter. 
 
     
     
       15. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the pallet transporter such that the pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces the transfer distance until it reaches a predetermined threshold. 
     
     
       16. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the automatic layer picking assembly comprises a plurality of pallet transporters concurrently operable to transport a destination pallet during a plurality of concurrent mixing operations. 
     
     
       17. An automatic layer picking assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to concurrently control:
 a first pallet transporter of the plurality of pallet transporters to cooperate with the movable layer transporter during the layer transfer operation of one of the concurrent mixing operations, and 
 a second pallet transporter of the plurality of pallet transporters such that the second pallet transporter's pallet positioner reduces the transfer distance for the next layer transfer operation of another of the concurrent mixing operations. 
 
     
     
       18. A method for composing a mixed layer pallet including a plurality of pallet layers of different products by an automatic layer picking assembly, the automatic layer picking assembly including a plurality of source pallets each positioned at a pallet position and each comprising products arranged in a plurality of pallet layers, at least one pallet transporter including a pallet positioner, a movable layer transporter including a layer picker and a layer positioner, and a controller coupled to the at least one pallet transporter and the movable layer transporter, the method comprising:
 transporting, by the at least one pallet transporter, a destination pallet during a mixing operation including a plurality of layer transfer operations; 
 transferring, by the movable layer transporter, at least one pallet layer from a source pallet to a destination pallet during a layer transfer operation of the mixing operation; 
 controlling the at least one pallet transporter and the movable layer transporter, by the controller, such that, during the plurality of the layer transfer operations of the mixing operation, a predetermined destination pallet receives a mixing set of a plurality of the pallet layers from a predetermined set of a plurality of the source pallets; 
 positioning, by the layer positioner, the movable layer transporter with respect to the predetermined pallet positions separately from the pallet transporter during the mixing operation. 
 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising:
 reducing, by the pallet transporter's pallet positioner, a transfer distance between the predetermined source pallet and the predetermined destination pallet
 (i) while the layer positioner positions the movable layer transporter at the pallet position of the predetermined source pallet, and 
 (ii) before the layer picker picks the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet. 
 
 
     
     
       20. The method according to  claim 18 , further comprising
 positioning, by the movable layer transporter's layer positioner, the movable layer transporter at the pallet position of the predetermined source pallet; 
 picking, by the movable layer transporter's layer picker, the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet; 
 positioning, by the movable layer transporter's layer positioner, the at least one predetermined pallet layer at the predetermined destination pallet on the predetermined pallet transporter; and 
 picking, by the movable layer transporter's layer picker, the at least one predetermined pallet layer from the predetermined source pallet on the predetermined destination pallet.